NEED TO KNOW
- Lindsay Graham was caught calling Fox News host Sean Hannity from the Senate floor on Tuesday
- A congressional reporter shared that the South Carolina Republican was attempting to whisper the call into his phone, but his Siri replied at full volume
- Congress is currently locked in a stalemate as the government shutdown nears the one-month mark
As the government shutdown nears the one-month mark, restless senators have been filling their free time with TV hits while negotiations to reopen the government stall.
Punchbowl News reporter Andrew Desiderio shared an anecdote from the half-open U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, Oct. 28, as South Carolina’s senior senator, Lindsey Graham, was caught in an embarrassing moment, thanks to his iPhone’s voice assistant, Siri.
“Funny moment just now in the Senate: Lindsey Graham whispered something into his phone and then Siri responded with full volume: ‘Calling Sean Hannity mobile,’ ” Desiderio posted on X.
Replies ranged across the political spectrum. One commenter wrote, “If any Democrat senator had this happen on the Senate floor… ‘Calling Rachel Maddow mobile,’ the R party and their Fox News soldiers would be covering it nonstop for a week.”
Another brushed it off, commenting, “Yes, it’s extremely embarrassing for Lindsey Graham that we now know he still uses Siri.”
Graham directly addressed the moment in a statement to PEOPLE, saying, “Siri: Tell my friends at PEOPLE to watch more Fox News. Why was I calling Sean Hannity? Breaking news: I like his show and I’ll be a guest tonight! Tune in.”
Desiderio also reported on what progress was being made in regards to the shutdown, noting that both parties were considering proposing one-topic “rifle-shot” bills in order to fund crucial needs that are about to be majorly impacted, like military salaries and SNAP food benefits.
After individual states started to notify citizens about the upcoming suspension of benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the U.S. Department of Agriculture posted a notice on its website this week, blaming congressional Democrats for keeping the government shutdown as they “hold out for healthcare for illegal aliens and gender mutilation procedures.”
The shutdown began on Oct. 1 and is the second-longest on record. The largest point of contention is related to the Affordable Care Act, with Democrats seeking to quickly extend ACA tax credits to prevent healthcare premiums from dramatically rising for millions of Americans.
Despite overwhelming public support, Republicans have refused to budge on the issue, saying they can negotiate after the government reopens.
The Siri slip-up isn’t the first time Graham’s been caught in an eyebrow-raising moment.
In May 2022, a CNN broadcast played audio of Graham seemingly criticizing Donald Trump for taking things “too far” and praising Joe Biden as the “best person” to lead the country in the wake of the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol.
“We will actually come out of this thing stronger. Moments like this reset. It’ll take a while. People will calm down,” Graham said in audio recorded on the day of the attack, after a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building.
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New York Times reporter Jonathan Martin, who was conducting the interview, then asked, “And Biden will be better, right?”
“Yeah, totally, he’ll be maybe the best person to have, right?” the lawmaker said. “I mean, how mad can you get at Joe Biden?”
